Multiple station machine tool



May 2, 1961 R. E. CROSS ErAL MULTIPLE STATION MACHINE TooL 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 28, 1957 May 2, 1961 Filed March 28, 1957 R. E. CROSS ET AL MULTIPLE STATION MACHINE TOOL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 2, 1961 R. E. CROSS ETAL 2,982,157

MULTIPLE STATION MACHINE TOOL Filed March 28, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 v INVENTORS. Fd// C fasci a #NH/S.

May 2, 1961 R. E. CROSS ET AL 2,982,157

MULTIPLE STATION MACHINE TOOL Filed March 28, 1957 5 SheebS-Sheet 4 May 2, 1961 R. E. cRoss ETAL 2,982,157

Y MULTIPLE STATION MACHINE TOOL Filed March 28, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 75.5 Zij j! BY l armar/.s1

States MUiUrlriLl:v STATION MACHINE TooL l VRalph Cross, Grosse Pointe Shores, and Kurt 0. Tech,

East Detroit, Mich., assignors to The Cross Company, Fraser, Mich.,'a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 2s, 1957, ser. No. 649,144

7 Claims. (ci. 77-s) Y This inventionirelates to multiple-station machine tools and more particularly to means for improving the precision with which such machine tools perform their machining operations.

The machine tolerance whichcan be maintained with multiple-station machine tool equipment is' normally `limited by the variations from nominal size ofra plurality of elements of the machine tool. These variations arise both in the initial manufacture of the machine-tool elements and from the wear of those velements over the course of the life of the machine tool.. The present invention pertains to the reduction of such variations.

The `principles of the invention are representatively v embodied in a multiple-station machine tool in which `Workpieces are transported by work-pieceholding 'palletsl `from one to another ofv a plurality of work stations. Each equipment isdisclosed for performing machining opera- -tions on the surface of a workpiece, it being assumed that it is requisite that'the contour of the surface be accurately related to one face of the workpiece and tothe longitudinal axis of the workpiece. To secure these relal tionships, the workpiece is initially accurately positioned lwithreference to the pallet and the pallet is then ad-I vanced, to a position adjacent the cutting tool, means being provided4 to so locate the 'pallet .that the axis of Vthe workpiece and the cutting point` ofthe cutting tool are accurately interrelated in one dimension, as representatively accomplished by adjusting Athe position of the work- Y piece ,along the direction of interstation pallet movement. VMeans arethenactuated to move the pallet ashort dis tance transversely of `thefline of interstation pallet movement until the pallet or the workpiece engages precisionthereby accurately establishing 'the distance, along `the longitudinal axis ofy the workpiece, between Vthe initial position ofthe cutting tooland a referenceeu'rface onl .-,the workpiece. fi; 'g

" To establish an accurate relationship between the', axisV of relative rotation 'of the 'workpiece and the'vcuttingrtool -ina'vertical sense, the cuttingtool is initially-positioned.. .in the disclosed representative arrangement, so that-fits `Qeutting pointis ashort distance way-,from ts"`prope'r Vydi,

"foregoing positioning opera/ 'arent O ICC i 2 tions where plural workpieces are carried by a single pallet.

To illustrate the advantages which accrue from th practice of other principles of theinvention, equipment is disclosed for drilling or reaming a hole the axis of which is perpendicular to the axis ofthe workpiece. `After the pallet'V is locatedV and clamped in position, the cutting tool is moved in a direction parallel with the axis of the workpiece to a preselected longitudinal position with respect to a reference surface of the workpiece. Concurrently with-this movement, other means are effective to shift or adjust the cutting tool transversely so as to bring its axis into alignment with the longitudinal axis of the workpiece. Where the pallet carries a plurality of workpieces, with an individual cutting tool being to its proper position, both longitudinallyandy trans` versely, independently of the other tools.

The nature of the invention will be more fullyunderstood from the4 following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention when read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

MFig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a portion of a machine tool ,embodying the principles of the present invention; j

2A is a fragmentary View of the left-hand portion of a sectional view ytakenvsubstantiallyV alongv the line 2-2 of Fig. l; f i' z Fig. 2B'is ka fragmentary View of the right-hand portion of arsectional view taken substantially along the line 2-"2 ofv Fig. 1, Fig. 2B being placedto` the right of'Fig. 2A for proper orientation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line y3v-'3 of Fig. 2B of the drawings; l i v Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2A ofthe drawings;

Fig, 5 is a fragmentary` top plan view of the portion V of the machine tool illust-rated in` Fig. l of the drawings;

Fig, 6 is atop plan View of another portion of the machine tool embodying the principles of the present inventiorlg-V Y Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 7--i-7 of Fig. 6 of the drawings; j

Fig. 8 is a .sectional view taken substantially alongtheline y:z -s ofrig. 6V of the drawings; and.

FigL'9 is a. sectional view taken substantially along the line 9,-'-9,of.Fig. 7 ofthe drawings, with the" workpiece and chuck removed.`v

`machined locating buttons .secured to the' bed or base, i

.- Certain of the featuresl herein disclosed are also disclosed land lclaimed 'in the patent. application of Ralph applied tofa plicationu l Thezmachine vof that f considered i operateuponthe same basisf,v In d E. Cross', entitled` Machine Serial No. 649,236 and tiled March 28, 1957,--andfthe disclosure ofthat applical tion is incorporaterdherein by referencef.. Additionall certain `of the-principles of the'present-invention' may. be

machine tool of the type disclosedfinthat ap- The principles'Y of the present' invention are also ap-'ff Y plicable toa'machine tool of the type disclosed in patent -v t f .21.7545111675 gran'td May '15.195,6' to; n. E. ;Cross', andere d'V closurepfthat patent isherebyf-incorporated by refer-1 5 fenceV in the present application. dpatent`is shown to ,includeiafloadingand unloading `sta-1.V

t 11afplurality,I ,of workstations and conveyor means for Y nporting.thefworkpieces, -carried 'upon"pallets,from" ,i ,i ;jo'1ietothe other .fof-'those'iworkfgstations and :froinfthe y 'Y al orkst'ationbackjco theunloadingand loading station. ,The machine tool ofthe? present intnen'tiori` may be Patent 2,745,167, a base 10, (Fig. 2A) supports rails or ways 12 and 14, extending the length of the machine tool. A plurality of workpieces 16 are supported by each of a plurality of workpiece supporting pallets 18.l Each pallet 18 includes a pair of runners 20 and 22 having machined lower surfaces 24 and 26, respectively, adapted vto engage the upper surfaces of rails 12`and 14, and depending vertically disposed lip surfaces 28 and 30, respectively, the spacing between whichV is but slightly greater than the distance between the outside vertical surfaces of the rails 12 and 14 for purposes to be noted. Means such as a transfer bar 32, of the nature of that disclosed in Patent 2,745,167, are provided for advancing the pallets 18 from station to station in the machine tool.

Each pallet 13 carries a plurality of tubular housings 34, 36, 38 and 40 (Fig. 6) disposed in spaced parallelism with one another and with their longitudinal axes extend- `ing perpendicularly to the axes of the rails 12 and 14 and hence transversely of the line of interstation pallet moveh ment. Each housing, such as housing 34, rotatably supports a spindle 42 (Fig. 2A). Each such spindle `terminates at one end (the left-hand end in the view ofy Fig. 2A) in a driving hub 44 and supports,.at the other end, a chuck 46 having a plurality of jaws including jaws 48 and 50 (Fig. 2B).

The `generally bell-shaped diierential gear cases which are representatively disclosed as'the workpieces 16 (Figs. 2A and 2B) include a front flange'having a forward face 52 and a rear face 54, a generally cylindrical exterior surface 56 adjacent the front flange, and a tail portion 58. The outer cylindrical surface of a lip 59 projecting from the front flange is machined at one point in the operations and, if desired, the forward face 52 may be machined to facilitate certain succeeding operations. Interiorly, workpiece 16 has a generally cylindrical surface 60 formed by the lip 59, a spherical inner surface 62 (the equipment for machining which is not detailed in the drawings) and successive generally cylindrical surfaces 64, `66 and 68.

In accordance with the principles of the aforesaid patent and application, it is assumed that each of the workpieces is to be rotated as an incidentof the machining operations at certain of the work stations, and in accordance with the principles of the aforesaid application, it is assumed that the workpiece must be held against rotational motion at others of the work stations. Y

Driving means individual to each of the housings 34, 36, 38 and 4t) are provided at each work station,`such as driving means 70, 72, 74 and 76 illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. AnyA 'suitable'driving means may be employed, but at those stations at which the workpieces are to be held stationary, the driving means should either be in the nature of hydraulic or pneumatic motors or should otherwise be provided with the capability of slipping after they have positioned the workpieces.

Each driving means carries a driving member 78 (Fig. 2A) upon the inner cylindrical surface of which is mounted a reinforced pneumatically inflatable tube 80 adapted to engage the exterior of the driving hub 44 so that the elements including hub 44 and member 78 constitute a driving coupler.` Appropriate means, such`asa hydraulic cylinder, are provided for advancing and retracting the driving member 78 lalong its longitudinal axist to bring it into and from engagement with the driving huby 44.,V

-A spring loader plunger 82 (Fig. 2A) is ,supportedby a bracket 84 secured to the upper vsurface of each of the I housings, such as housing 34. The'position of each plunger 82 is determined by a cam follower roller 86 rotatably supported upon a 'shaft 88 which isfsecured intel grally'with the plunger 82. LA t-a'nystationat whiehx'the Y workpiece is to be rotated as an incident'ofhthe machinelevate the locking plunger 82, asis illustratedA 2A of the drawings. At any station at which the workpiece is to be locked yagainst rotation-in a preselectedrotational position, no camming bar is provided. In the absence of a camming bar 90, locking plunger 82 is permitted to move downwardly in response to the force exerted by its individual spring and into engagement with a single peripheral recess or socket 92 in the driving hub 44, the driving means at that station serving as a positioner to rotate the driving hub 44 until the recess 92 is in alignment with locking plunger 82, at which time the plunger enters the recess and prevents further rotational motion of the workpiece. This feature is more fully disclosed in the above-noted patent application.

At the portion of the machine tool illustrated in Figs. l, 2A and 2B of the drawings, a plurality of boring tools (Fig. 2B) are to be advanced inwardly (to the left in Figs. 2A and 2B) along the longitudinal axis of each of the several workpieces 16 to form the surfaces 60, 64 and 68, and the outer surface of the lip 59. It is particularly important in this operation that the cutting points of the cutting tools be accurately located with respect to the axes of the several workpieces 16. It may also be important that the workpieces 16 be positioned along their longitudinal axes in precise relationship to the initial position of those cutting tools.

While adequate positional accuracy may accrue from the engagement between the runners 20 and 22 and the rails 12 and 14 (Fig. 2A), the precision of such positioning is limited not only by construction tolerances but also by the requirement that runners 20 and 22 move longitudinally along the rails 12 and 14 and by the fact that these sliding parts tend to wear over the course of the life of the machine tool. Therefore, in the illustrated arrangement, a pair of mating positioning or stop buttons 106 and 108 are mounted upon the pallet 18 and upon the base 10, respectively, and one other pair of mating positioning buttons may be and preferably is provided to insure parallelism and to prevent cooking.

In the preferred arrangement, immediately the pallet is brought to the station and its forward motion terminated, an automatically actuated locating pin is brought into engagement with a locating recess or socket in the pallet. A suitable manner of actuating such pins is detailed in the above-identified patent and application. As will be seen, the pallet is or may be moved, after such -positioning, in a direction transverse of the axes of the rails (and hence perpendicular to the line of interstation article movement) into a precisely located position relative to the cutting tools.

To permit the adjustment and yet hold the pallet in preselected' accurate relationship with the cutting tools in the direction of the pallets interstation movement, the cooperating pin and socket should be other than circular. While a recess which accurately accepts the pin in one dimension and is elongated in the other offers a satisfactory solution, a ldifferent arrangement has been found to be advantageous in practice. An accurate circular cylindrical recess is formed in the pallet and the pin is conformed so as to engage the recess only along opposed lines. 'In a preferred arrangement, the pin is in the nature of ya plate with sharpened edges, those edges being parallel and spaced apart a distance but slightly less than the diameter of the recess in the pallet, the two edges lying inv a plane which is parallel with the line of interstation pallet movement. If the plate is, for example, a thousandth of an inchsmaller than the recess, the pallet will be located, within that tolerance, in the direction of interstation travel, but will be free to move, with reasonable recess diameters, several thouvsandths of an inch in a direction perpendicular to the, axis of thepin and perpendicular to the direction of interstation movement. K

' After the pallet 18 has yarrived at the work-,station and afterth'e locatingvpin has been seated in the locating recess in thc pal1e't,.ahydraulic cylinder 110, acting `between the pallet 18 and the base 10 '.(or parts :integral of mating stop buttons, such as stop buttons 106 and 108, into .abutment with one another and `to hold them in such abutment during the course of the machining operation. It will now be clear that sutiicient clearance must -be established between the runners 20 and 22 and the rails 12 and 14 so that engagement between runner 20 and rail 12 will not prevent the stop buttons from coming into abutment with `one another.

Itis also contemplated that the longitudinal position of the Workpieces may alternatively be established by mounting sensing devices on the machine in a position toengage a portion of the right-hand faces of the workpieces 16.

As may best be seen in Fig. 2B of the drawings, the tools generally designated 100 and 102 are mounted upon a tool slide 116. Slide 116 is slidably mounted upon a casting 118 so that it cannot move in any horizontal direction with respect to that castingbut is free to slide,runder .the control of mechanism to be described, along and relative to the forward face of that casting. j j

Casting 118, slidablysupported upon the baselt)k (Figs. l and 2B), in turn supports a gear housing 120. A shaft 122, supported by bearings 124 and 126, is driven through a clutch 128, representatively an electric clutch, by a motor 130 mounted upon thecasting i118, Y A worm 132 on shaft 122 engages a worm gear 134 Ywhichis (Fig. 3) mounted upon a shaft 136 lsupported in bearings 138 and 140 mounted in'theside walls of gear housing 120.v

Worm 142V meshes with' aworm gear 144 Vkeyed to a shaft 146 which is rotatably supported relatively to the gear housing 120 by bearings 148 and 150 (Fig.v 2B). The threaded lower end portion 152of the shaft 146 threadedly engages nuts 154 and 156, screwed or otherwise secured together and to the slide 116, an aperture 158 being formed in the Vupper surface of slide 116 to accept'the projecting end Vof shaft 146. It will be perceived that with the gear reduction provided by the gear train in j housing 120, the yposition of the slide 116 relative to the casting 118 may be'very precisely controlled.

In the disclosed arrangement, the magnitude of the relative vertical movement between slide 116 and casting 118 is relatively small since itis assumed that the several parts of the machinetool lare formed with suicient precision so that but minor positional adjutment is required, In practice, the .totalmagnitude of adjustment may require that shaft 146 be rotated but a fraction of a full revolution. i j

To establish the uppermost .position of the slide 116 relative to the casting 11S and to establish a limit to the downward motion. of that slide, a limit switch 162 (Figs. 1, 2B and 5) is mounted upon the gear housing 120; A pair of cam arms 164 and 166 are secured in selected rol tational positions to the upper end of shaft1t46 soas to be rotated thereby. When motor v1730 is rotated in a direction to elevate thegslide 116, shaft-,146'rotates `until' cam arm v164 engages and trips-the actuatingv lever "16S of switchx162, terminating, .through clutch 128, the drivblies, including the several sets of tools 100 `and 102, to-

ward the left in the view of Fig. 2B to advance the cutting tools linto the workpieces as the workpieces rotate. When these units are in their rearmost precisely fixed positions (to the right in the view of Fig. 2B) and when the workpieces 16 are in the position determined by the several Vstop buttons including stop buttons 106 and 108, the several sensing iingers 176 are in vertical alignment with locating `buttons securedto each of the housings 3'4, 36, 3S and 4d, such as locating button 192 supported by bracket 194 on the upper surface of housing 34 (Fig. 2A).

Each of the slides, such as slide 116 carrying tools 100 and 102 and switch housing 172, islowered under the control of its motor until the sensingnger 176 engages the button 192, the occurrence of 4which will imi mediately terminate the downward motion of the slide. With appropriate adjustments of the parts, it will thereby be insured that the cutting points of the several cutting tools such as 100 and 102 will be in correct relationship, in a Vertical sense, with the taxes of the individual work- .pieces 16. By providing a number of control and sensing means equal to the number of workpieces at the station,

tudinal axes of the several Workpieces. The disclosed means will also, of course, compensate for variations Vamong the successive pallets. j

With the several driving couplers actuated to rotate the workpieces 16 about their longitudinal axes, the castings 118i and parts carried thereby are advanced to the left in thetviews of Figs. 2A and 2B to machine each of the ,several surfaces 60, 64 and 68 and the outer surfaces of lips 59. At the completionof this operation, the castings 118, and parts carried thereby, are moved back to. the right to Withdraw the several cutting Vtools 1700 and V1112 from the several workpieces 16, following which gitu'dinal'axis of the workpiece, that the cutting tools are `moved in a direction perpendicular to that axis-'of rota- ,tion toia'preselectediposition and that cutting is accomingof the shaft `146 and the upward motion ofthe slide 116. When the-workpiece is in position, as signaled, for.

example, by limit switches, motor 13Gl rotates shaft A41,46 in a :direction to lower ,the Vslide`116rivand tomove the cam 'armi `166 ina clockwise direction ,in .the View ofFig. 5;

In normal ope-ration, sensing meanstobedescribed will A V terminate `fthe downward motion. However, inthe event `that'no signal isgreceivedfrromthesensing meansv prior 'to l an"established limit position, ycamlarm;166will strikeiand trip actuating lever-16158 to terminate the downward mo- "tionatlthatf'point.' l ,5" I 'j V"The position-sensing,,switchf'170' (Figs. 2Atfafnd4) 'is I i supported*withinfafswitch housing 172 secured -torthetool l fslidej1-116`Switch'rlmfinludes -anfapertured base :por- 70 tion 1,74 through'which a'sens'ing or; actuating tinger 1746 projects. ,Fiiiger`1'76 is supportedin fany suitable manner,V i v VA'such .las y by.,a.'gdiapl'nagrn...17S,Y` andits upper endengages ja'button 1811fniunted"upon'lallever'152atafpoint spaced from theksprifng hinge. 184 supporting' thatflev'en. j zUpWa'rdg and its axis andvsincefthe )workpiece isengaged by the .jaws of{the.,1chuck,.withtheftipsofthose jaws engaging f 65;thesurface figofftheffront iiange, asaboiveV-no'ted` It is f y.contemplated that .thesenSing Y switch "couldalso engage sor'ne-gother surfae which is'effectiyely` xed withirespect 1"' 'tol the axis'ff the workpiece, such as a surface of 'the jf Y 'the succeedi plished by thereafter moving the cutting tools in a direc-v tion parallel'with and along the axis .of rotation. The preselected position lis -attained vby the use of a ytoolcarryingfslideasa positioning means, the tool beingy g moved towards theworltpieceuntil the Vsensing, switch tengages th'ebutton 192, Button 192is, of course, effecl vtively iixed with respect vto ythe axis ofthe workpiece since the button' isspaceda,fixedjdistance from the Vchuck workpiece itself.:k Y'

ngi andiextfending pe'r'nendipularlyV to andl intersecting Ae longitudinal Iaxisfofjthe workpiece,

portion of the.mahineteoiiiiugf j. trated in Fig. of the drawings;l and Lfur'thendetailed"inf '1 Figsj `to.9, of Vthe'drawings,I aprin;}b1q1e f ig toghe drilued y i through 'the :v orltpie'ce just-.tolfthe ,rearofA its forwapd ilar to that illustrated n the noted gures may also be employed for subsequent reaming of the hole if desired. It is assumed that the face 52 of the front flange of the workpiece has been machined at an earlier operation at which locating means corresponding to stop buttons 106 and 108 have been employed.

with and drop into engagement with the provided recesses,

at which time the workpieces are locked against rotation `for the duration of the machine operations performed at this section ofthe machine tool.

The multiple-spindle tool head 200 atthe portion of the machine tool illustrated in Fig. 6 includes a plurality vof drills, such as drill 202 (Fig. 7) Vsupported by individual spindles, such as spindle 204, and means for rotating the drills about their longitudinal axes and for moving the drills in translation along their longitudinal axes.

It is assumed that the pin hole must be very accurately located both transversely and longitudinally of the workpiece. Since a plurality of the surfaces of the workpiece have been precisely machined in prior operations, any of those may be employed as reference surfaces in the present operation. Accordingly, the forward face 52 of the front flange of the workpiece 16 (Fig. 7) is representatively employed as a reference surface to adjust the position of the drill 202 along the longitudinal axis of the workpiece, and the cylindrical surface 60 is employed as a reference surface to adjust the drill 202 so that Vits axis intersects the longitudinal axis of the workpiece.

While all of the drills may be adjusted as a unit relative to the four workpieces, improved accuracy may be obtained by providing for individual adjustment of each drill with respect to the individual workpieces, and such an arrangement is representatively disclosed. In view of the accuracy with which the workpieces are located upon the pallet 18 and the accuracy with which the pallet is located, the magnitude of the adjustments is, of course, quite small.

Both of the requisite adjustments are performed through the provision of a plurality of positioning means in the form of bushing plates, such as bushing plate 206 illustrated in Figs. 7 and 9 of the drawings. A centrally apertured bracket 208 is screwed or otherwise secured Ain Xed relation to the left-hand face (Fig. 7) of the bushing plate 206, with the aperture therein in accurate vertical alignment with an aperture in an upper overhanging portion 210 of the bushing plate 206. A drillguiding bushing 212 is nonrotatably secured in bracket 208, the lower end of bushing 212 extending into proximity Vto the lower inner'surface of the workpiece 16 so 'as to accurately guide the drill 202 in the formation of level of the front flange of theworkpiece 16 to the illustrated position in which its lower end is proximate the upper portion of the workpiece 16. The drill 202 is rotated aboutV its axis and is movable` vertically along its axis relative to the bushings 216 and 212.

Each of the plurality of bushing plates, such asLfbush- ,jf-ing plate 206, is 4supported-bythe upstanding portion 220 ofwa bushing-plate slide '222, Ythe methodfofninterconnec-Y "'tic'n betweennfeach of the bushing plates and ,the slide being such that each bushing plate can move inany of four horizontal directions relative to the Slide 222 but cannot move vertically relative to that slide. A key 226 seated in a horizontal slot in the forward face of portion 220 of slide 222 engages a keyway 228 (Fig. 7) extending the full width of the bushing plate 206. Plate 206 can move relative to key 226 away and toward the portion 220 and can move transversely of portion 220, but key 226 prevents plate 206 from moving vertically relative to portion 220 and, importantly, prevents any relative rotation between plate 206 and slide 222.

Bushing plate 206 is continuously urged away from portion 220 of slide 222 by means acting between those parts, four such means 230, 232, 234 and 236 representatively being shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. As may best be seen in the sectional View of Fig. 7 of the drawings, means 230 comprises a compression spring 238 acting between the seat of a recess 240 formed in the portion 220 of slide 222 and a cup 242 abutting the right-hand face of the bushing plate 206. Cup 242 fits within the aperture in the portion 220 and is slidable with respect thereto, the limits of that sliding motion being established by abutment between either face of the lip 244 on the cup 242 and surfaces 246 and 248 formed by enlarging the diameter of the recess 240 over a portion of its length. If cup 242 is secured to the bushing plate 206, the recess 240 should be oversize or horizonta=lly elongated to permitV bushing plate 206 to move laterally with respect to portion 220. Alternatively, cup 242 may merely abut the right-hand face of plate 206 on to the forces exerted by spring 238, plate 206 sliding upon and relative to the cup 242 during horizontal motion of the plate 206 relative to the portion 220. The other means 232, 234 and 236 may be similarly constructed.

To limit the extent to which bushing plate 206 may move away from portion 220, a stud 250, extending through an aperture in the portion 220 of the slide 222, is threaded, as at 252, or otherwise secured to the bushing plate 206. A headed spacer 254 is held upon stud 250 by nut 256, spacer 254 abutting a shoulder on the stud 250 to establish its position. When the bushing plate 206 is spaced from the workpiece 16, the spring means will force the bushing plate away from the portion 220 until the left-hand face (Fig. 7) of spacer 254 abuts a seat 258 established by counterboring the aperture in portion 220. Since stud 250 is rigidly secured to bushing plate 206 and since bushing plate 206 must be free to move laterally with respect to portion 220, it will be apparent that the aperture and counterbore in portion 220 through which stud 250 extends must either be oversize or horizontally elongated. An additional stop means 260 similar in construction to the stop means including stud 250 may be provided if desired as is indicated in Fig. 9 of the drawings. Y

To establish the desired relationship between the face f of the workpiecel and the bushing plate 206 and parts carried thereby, a plurality, representatively four, locating or rest Abu'ttons262, 264, 266 and 268 (Fig. 9) are mounted upon the plate 206 in any suitable fashion.

AThese rest buttons are desirably ground, after assembly,

become lodged between the rest buttons and the face of the.workpiece.

A centering plate 272, serving with'the bushing plate as a vposition-sensing means, is accurately secured to the `.faee of the bushing plate 206 by'any suitable means, Asuch as by vdowels274 and 27 6 (Fig. 9) and by socket head screws, such as screw 278. Portions 280-and'282 v of centeringplate 272 are formed. to a diameter subfstantially equal to that of the surface 60,(Fig. 7) of the i workpieceV 16, while the remainder of the periphery of the generally circular' centering plate 272 is formed to a somewhat smaller diameter so" that the upper and lower be seen in Fig. 8 of the drawings, slide 222 moves upon ways including way 286 supported upon a base 288 which is `xed in position with respect to base 10. A bracket 290, secured upon the base 288, carries a hydraulic cylinder 292 the piston rod 294 of which is secured in any suitable fashion to the upstanding portion 220 of the slide 222. ,o

Preparatory to the arrival of the workpiece-carrying pallet 18, at this portion of the machine tool,lthe drills 202 are fully retracted, the upper bushings 216 are in their uppermost positions and the piston rod 294 of the cylinder 292 is retracted. Consequently, all of the bushing plates, and the parts Supported thereby, are in a position clear of the arriving workpieces. Under this condition, bushing plate-206 will be at its maximumA spacing from the upstanding portion 220, `as established by the stop rneans,land the'other bushings will be similarly spaced a maximum distance from the portion 220.

A pair of brackets, son and 302 (Fig. '6) secured' to slide 222 support a hydraulic cylinder 304 upon trunnions 306 (Fig. 8) so that cylinder 304 may rock upon the axis of the trunnions. Piston rod 308 of cylinder 304 is secured to a plate 310 rotatably pinned to a link 312 which is keyed to a shaft 314. Shaft 314 extends the width of head 200` (Fig. 6) and is rotatably supported by means including end bracket 316 (Figs. 7 and 8),

'supported upon slide 222.

A clevis arm,'such as clevis arm `3270, is keyed to the shaft 314 at a point overlying each yof the bushing plates.

A rocker block 322, having a longitudinal slot 324 in p each of the two s-ide faces thereof, -is positioned between the bifurcations of the clevis arm 320. A pin 326 is se- When the'workpiece-carrying pallet 18 has arrived at this portion of the machine tool and has been clamped in place, hydraulic cylinder 292 is lactuated to move slide 222 and the bushing plates carried thereby to the left toward the several workpieces and in a direction perpendicular tothe axes" of rotation of the drills. VDuring the courseof this motion, the rest buttons on each of -the bushing plates, such as rest buttons 262 to 268 on bush- Y ing plate 206, will strike the machined faces 52 of the workpieces 16. The stroke of hydraulic cylinder 292 is sullicient so that upstanding portion 220 will continue to travel a short `distance to the left, and during that overtravel the space between each bushing plate 206 and the upstanding `portion 22.0 will be reduced, with the flange 244 on each spring cup 242 separating from the surface 248 of the portion'` 220, with'each bushing plate slot 228 becoming further engaged With the keys1226, and with the spacers such asspacer 2,54 becomingspa'ced from the surface 258 on the portion 220. o

The stroke ofy hydraulic cylinder 292 is, of course, selected so that portion 220( will` stop before it comes into abutment withthe right-hand-face of anyone Aof the-bushing plates, and stop means may bel provided to aflirrnatively limit the'travel'if desired. In practice, the

maximum overtravel v.after the reist buttonsstrike thev -uworkpieceneed be but a few thousandths of an inch or less. It will be appreciatedthatthe spacingfvbetween any bushingplate. and 4.theupstanding portionl220 may dilfertfrornthe spacing between other Abushing plates andV the portion 220. t p

. Duringthe course of'thernotion of 'the bushing plate "206 toward the workpiece 16,- the centering plate 272 `,willenter the workpiece andthechamfered .portions 280 cured in an aperture in bifurcation 328 of arm 320 and extends into the slot 324, and a similar pin is supported by the other bifurcation of the arm 320 and enters the other slot in the rocker block 322. The upper bushing 216 is inserted and clamped in a central aperture in the rocker block 322. A

`After the bushing plate is brought into engagement with the workpiece, hydraulic cylinder 304 is actuated to rotate srhatft 314 in a counterclockwise direction (Figs. :7 and 8,) to accordingly rotate each ofy the several clevis arms, such as arm 320. Bushing 2116 must move rectilinearly in view of its engagement with sleeve 214 and rocker 322 serves to convert the rotational motion of arm 320 into translational motion of bushing 2ll6 since rocker 322 can rotate about the axis of the aligned pins including pin 326 and since those vpins can slide longitudinally of the rocker 322 during'the cource of the arcuate motion of arm 320. In this manner, the upper bushing 216 is brought to the position illustrated in Fig. 7 and thev drilling operation isA thereafter performed. It will be observed that"the drill head can either be carried by the slide 222 or can be Xed in its horizontal position, in which case lthe drills must, of course, be fully withdrawn from the bushings whenever slide v222 is not in its full forward position. At the completion of the drilling operation, drill 202 is retracted and piston rod '308 (Fig. 8) of hydraulic cylinder 304 Vis also retracted'to rotate each of the clevis arms including arm 320 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 7) tomove the upper bushing 21.6 above the ilange of the workpiece. Hydraulic cylin- 'der292'may thereafter be actuated to move the slide 222, and all parts carried thereby, tothe right, in the views-of Figs. 7 and 8 in preparation for the removal of the pallet l and for the-arrival of another workpiece- .invention is` susceptible to modication,v variatie-n and I change without departing from the-proper scope or fair f What `is claimed is: Y

. l. Ina machine tool including a plurality of workstajtions at' which work operations are performedupon a workpiece, one of the^ work stations including a cutting tool; the `combination. of a workpiece-supporting pallet j movable to the several' work stations; and means effecand 282ther`eon will engagethe cylindricallsurface 60.

If theaxis of-fthecentering plate 272 doesnotexactlyk l i. coincide with the longitudinalaxis-ofthe workpiece, the bushinglplate 206 will.accordinglyy be,V shifted laterally,

- vwith @ferr-.rice to the upstandingperaen 22110f1hef's1ide .v '222, in 'a aire cfionperpendicuiar beth to theiongitudinn axis-lof ithe workpiece and` to'`v` the-longitudinal axis of rheariuf; Y j f By-.yirtuerofthesejoperations, the,.longitudinal' axis of-v fthe: bushings" 216 vand-212'is.positionedito `-intersect the .longitudinal aXisjof the: workpiece-andfthegdistance "tl-.tweenthaleia-audimat anser thefpmholes taber-k E fthe facey 52.` of :the workpiece is :accurately tive after said pallet has been moved to said one work station. and prior to engagement jof thecutting tool with .the workpiece ,for establishing aj precise positional-.re- A lationshipbetween the-'cutting'ltool and` the workpiece' v comprising slide, driving means' for-rrioving said slide f `towards' thevwork'p'iece, 4positioning meansffor positioning Vthe lcutting tool, means supportingfsaid positioning.,means `Von' saidz'slide for movement with" respect yto said` slide both inra .direction perpendiculartoland in 1aV direction [paranerwaa msnm-,enen gamer/ement eff Sain slide,

a iirst'surface on said positioning means engag'eable with ffrst-surface fiied'fwith `respect' the workpiece o said positioning' means is moved by saidislidertowards f; thej workpiece, one-0f said irst ,sprofacesobeingg inclined with respect to the line of movement of said slide so that said positioning means is cammed into movement relative to said slide and in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of said slide, and a second surface on said positioning means engageable with a second surface fixed with respect to the workpiece as said positioning means is moved by said slide towards the workpiece for preventing further movement of said positioning means towards the workpiece during any further movement of said slide towards the workpiece.

2. A machine tool comprising a series of in-line work stations; horizontal rail means extending through said work stations; a work supporting pallet movable successively from station to station on said rail means adapted to carry a workpiece in a lixed, predetermined position thereon; -locating means for said pallet in at least one of said stations comprising means for locating the pallet horizontally in a direction parallel to its direction of travel on said rail means; and separate means for locating the pallet horizontally -in a direction at right angles to said direction of travel; a cutting tool in said one station; and means for locating said cutting tool relative to the adjusted position of said pallet comprising positioning means for positioning the tool to act on a workpiece carried by said pallet, drive means coactive with said positioning means to adjust the latter relative to said pallet, means forming a reference surface on and movable with said pallet, and sensing means on and movable with said positioning means engageable with said reference surface and operable thereby independently of said tool to actuate said drive means to adjust said positioning means as required to dispose said tool precisely for engagement with said workpiece.

3. A machine tool comprising a series of in-line work stations; Ihorizontal rail means extending through said work stations; a work supporting pallet movable successively from station to station on said rail means adapted to carry a workpiece in a fixed predetermined position thereon; locating means for said pallet in at least one of said stations comprising means for locating the pallet horizontally in a direction parallel to its direction of travel on said rail means; separate means for locating the pallet horizontally in a direction at right angles to said direction of travel and operable simultaneously to clamp the pallet in both said located positions; a cutting tool in said one station; and means for locating said cutting tool relative to the adjusted position of said pallet comprising positioning means for positioning the tool to act on a workpiece carried by said pallet, drive means coactive with said positioning means to adjust the latter relative to said pallet, means forming a reference surface on and movable with said pallet, and sensing means on and movable with said positioning means engageable with said reference surface and operable thereby independently of said tool to actuate said drive means to adjust said positioning means as required to dispose said tool precisely for engagement with said workpiece.

4. A machine tool comprising a series of in-line work stations; horizontal rail means extending through said work stations; a work supporting pallet movable successively from station to station on said rail means adapted to carry a workpiece in a fixed, predetermined position thereon; locating means for said pallet in at least one of said stations comprising means' lfor locating the pallet horizontally in a direction parallel toV itsV direction of travel on-said rail means, stop means at one side of said rail means,' and means in saidy station engageable with said pallet to pushthe-latter transversely of said rail means and against said stop means whereby to locate the 12 tioning means to adjust the latter relative to said pallet, means forming a reference surface on and movable with said pallet, and sensing means on and movable with said positioning means engageable with said reference surface Vand operable thereby independently of said tool to actu- Vate said drive means to adjust said positioning means as required to dispose said tool precisely for engagement with said workpiece.

5. In a machine tool including a plurality of work stations at which work operations are performed upon a workpiece, one of the work stations including a cutting tool; the combination of a workpiece-supporting pallet movable to the several work stations; and means effective after said pallet has been moved to said one work station and prior to engagement of the cutting tool with the workpiece for establishing a precise positional relationship between the cutting tool and the workpiece comprising a slide, drivingV means for moving said slide towards the workpiece, positioning means for positioning the cutting tool and movable with respect to said slide in a direction parallel with the direction'of movement of said slide, means supporting said positioning means on saidslide for movement with respect to said slide, and a surface on said positioning means independent of and apart from said tool engageable with a surface fixed with respect to and associated and movable with the workpiece as said positioning means is moved by said slide towards the workpiece for moving said positioning means relative to said slide.

6. In a machine tool including a plurality of work stations at which work operations are performed upon a workpiece, one of the work stations including a cutting tool; the combination of a workpiece-supporting pallet movable to the several work stations; and means effective after said pallet has been moved to said one work station and prior to, engagement of the cutting tool with the workpiece `for establishing a' precise positional relationship between the cutting tool and the workpiece comprising a slide, driving means for moving said slide towards the workpiece, positioning means for positioning the cutting tool and movable with respect to said slide in a direction parallel with the direction of movement of said slide, means supporting said positioning means on said slide for movement with respect to said slide, and a surface on said positioning means independent of and apart from said tool engageable with a surface fixed with respect to and associated and movable with the workpiece as said positioning means is moved by said slide towards the workpiece for moving said positioning means relative to said slide, spring means for continuously exerting a force tending to move said positioning means away from said slide to a position spaced a preselected distance from said slide, said surfaces adapted to become engaged at a point in the movement of said slide toward the workpieces whereby the spacing between said p positioning means and said slide is reduced.

' spacedparallelisrn with one anothergand means effective after said pallet has been moved to said one work station and priorto engagement of the cutting tools with the workpieces, for establishing 'a precise positional relationv,"shipbetween each, ofthe plurality of cutting tools and same in a vdirection at right angles to Vsaid direction of I travel and simultaneously to clamp the pallet in both of said located positions; a cutting tool in said one station; and ,means for locating said cutting tool relative to the adjusted position of said pallet comprising positioning means forA positioning the tool to act on a workpiece carindividual onesl of the plurality of workpieces comprising a slide, driving means for moving said slide in one direction ,towardsV the workpieces, positioning means in- VdividualV to each'of thecutting tools for' positioning the cutting tool relative to the'workpiece to which the cutting-tool iis individual,"each of said positioning means lbeing movable `withv'respect to said slide in a direction Qparallel'withgthe,direction-of movement of the slide,y

means supporting each of saidvpositioning means on said slide for movement with respect to said slide,`and a surpositioning means re-lative to said slide into proper positional relationship with the individual workpieces, the surface of each of said positioning means being engageable with a surface on an individual workpiece for preventing further movement of each of said positioning means toward the individual workpiece during further movement of said slide toward the workpiece.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Perry Oct. 27, 1936 Strachan June 29, 1937 Obcrh-offken et al. Mar. 19, 1940 Manseld Jan. 1, 1946 Hill July 14, 1953 Romans etal Oct. 5, 1954 Cross May 15, 1956 Scarl Ian. 29, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No., 2,982, 157 May 211 1961 Ralph E, Coss et al.,

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patentv should read as "corrected below Column 5, line 43, for "adjutment" read adjustment d3 column lO, line 51, for "is susceptible to modificationy variation and" .read herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the m.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of October 191` (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDEE DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer i Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DCy 

